Cigarette package and resilient hinge therefor



July 3, 1934. P, M. BAMBINO CIGARETTE PACKAGE AND RESILIENT HINGE THEREFOR Filed June 5, 1933 INVENTOR.

PETER m. EIFHTIEHND QLADWWV Patented July 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE PACKAGE AND RESILIENT HINGE THEREFOR 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in cigarette packages, and has particular reference to a combined hinged and closing means, together with the wrapper for the package.

5 The principal object of the invention is to provide means whereby a cigarette package may be split lengthwise and afterwards automatically closed after a cigarette is removed.

A further object is to produce a device which is economical to manufacture. Another object is to produce a device which may be incorporated in the standard cigarette package without departing from any of the customary procedure in wrapping cigarette packages.

An additional object is to produce a device which may be incorporated within the package without increasing its size or general appearance.

A still further object is to provide means whereby the split edges of the package will have sufiicient stability to preserve the general shape of the package until the contents have all been used.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. I is a perspective view of a cigarette package constructed in accordance with my invention and a portion thereof broken away in order to show the gummed folded edges of the inner wrapper,

Fig. II is an end view of the inner wrapper,

Fig. III is an enlarged fragmentary detail cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. I,

Fig. IV is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line &4 of Fig. I,

Fig. V is an end elevation showing the cigarette package broken open so that the contents thereof may be dispensed, a portion of the package being broken away in order to illustrate the hinge and closure elements,

Fig. VI is a fragmentary detail view of the outer wrapper with the hinge element attached thereto,

Fig. VII is a view of the hinge element looking from the opposite side of that of Fig. VI, and

Fig. VIII is an enlarged cross sectional View on the line 88 of Fig. VII.

It is customary to open a cigarette package by tearing the wrapper away from the end of the package and to then push the cigarettes upward- 55 ly from the bottom of the package, which mutilates the package, or to tip the package up-sidedown so that certain of the cigarettes fall therefrom. The result of this practice is that cigarettes often fall into the pockets, the ends of the cigarettes being exposed producing unsani- 50 tary condition, the tobacco in the ends of the cigarettes becomes loose and falls into the pockets, with the result that the smoker always has a large quantity of tobacco in his pockets which must be continuously emptied out. This is a loss to the smoker and often causes ruination of the clothes through stains when laundered, if the tobacco is not first emptied fromthe pockets.

It will, therefore, be apparent that applicant has devised a novel structure which eliminates all these objections, for the reason that the package is split from end to end and is provided with a hinged member, which has incorporated therein a resilient element which closes the two portions H of the package against each other as soon as pressure is released after the opening operation. Applicant has further provided means for accomplishing the splitting of the package from end to end, which in conjunction with the hinged member makes a most novel package.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates the inner wrapper of a cigarette package. This inner wrapper is folded over the ends of the package and the adjacent longitudinal edges are customarily lapped one over the other. I propose, however, to fold the longitudinal edges as shown at 6 and 7, the purpose of which will be later seen. The numeral 8 designates the outer wrapper which is placed around the package and sealed with the Government stamp, designated at 9. It is to the wrapper 8 that I attach my hinged member 10 which is preferably made of cardboard scored as at 15 (see Fig. VIII), so as to fold at the point A (see Figs. IV and VI). This hinged member is provided with an opening 11 across which is stretched a rubber 12, the ends being adhesively secured to the portions B and C of the hinged member. The portions B and C are separated from each other by a cut 13. The portion D is adhesively secured to the wrapper 8. In building up this hinged member I preferably adhesively secure to the back of the blank 10 a thin 105 paper 14. This paper serves to cover the ends of the band 12 and further assists in adhesively holding them against misplacement. By scoring the cardboard and inserting a rubber in the scored portion and afterwards placing the paper 14 11 thereover, a hinged member is formed which is free of any projections.

When making a cigarette package in accordance with my invention, the package of cigarettes is first wrapped in the inner wrapper so that the adhesive edges 6 and 7 will appear as shown in Fig. II. The next operation is to apply the outer wrapper to which a hinge member has been attached by the adhesive portion D. When the outer wrapper has been secured upon the package and sealed, it will be found that during the applying of the outer wrapper to the inner wrapper, a moistening operation has taken place, sufficient to cause the portions 6 and '7 to adhere to the inner surface of the outer wrapper 8, and upon opposite sides of a line of perforations 16. It is understood that the usual cellophane wrapper is placed over the package and the same is then ready for sale. In opening the package the cellophane wrapper is removed, then the fingernail or any sharp instrument may be run along the line of perforations 16, with the result that the outer package will be out along its two ends and across one of its longitudinal faces. The package may now be bent as shown in Fig. IV, the bending operation placing the rubber 12 under tension. As a result, as soon as the user releases the two halves of the package the same will close tightly and entirely enclose the cigarettes. Through the fact that the inner wrapper and the outer wrapper are glued to each other along the line of break between the two portions of the package, it will be apparent that considerable rigidity will be given to the broken edges of the package, which will materially preserve the appearance and usefulness of the package during its useful life.

It has been found that the portion D, not only serves as a hinge but also serves to maintain the edges of the package in proper alignment. In other words it eliminates, to a large extent, any weaving action of one side of the package with respect to the other, which would otherwise occur due to the paper wrapper being of a comparatively weak material. The opening 11 permits the manufacture of the hinge member in that the portion of the rubber band stretching across this opening will not be adhered to during the gluing operation and is therefore free to stretch when the demand is placed upon the unsecured central portion of the band.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a cigarette package having an inner and outer wrapper, said wrappers being adhesively secured one to the other adjacent an opening area, and a resilient hinged member positioned to said wrappers whereby said package will be closed after said Wrappers have been broken open.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a package having an inner wrapper, the edges of said wrapper being folded upon themselves, an outer wrapper positioned over said inner wrapper and adhesively engaging said folded edges, said outer wrapper having perforations formed therein, said perforations lying between the adhesive engagement of said inner and outer wrapper, a hinged member secured to one of said wrappers and adapted to extend over one end of said package, the portion of said hinged member overlying the end of said package being divided, and a resilient member interposed between the divided portions of said hinged member.

3. A hinged member for a cigarette package, comprising a blank having a securing portion, the remainder of said blank having an opening formed therein, a resilient member overlying said opening and secured to said blank on the opposite sides of said opening, the portion of said blank having said opening therein being divided.

4. A hinged member for a package including a blank adapted to be folded upon itself so as to form an angular structure, one portion of said angular structure being divided, a resilient member ext nding between the divided portions, an opening underlying a portion of said resilient member, and means for securing said hinged member to the wrapper of a package whereby the cut portion of said angular member will extend over the end of said package.

PETER M. BAMBINO. 

